10 individual trustee skills

February 12, 2015 The NonProfit Times

As the world, and nonprofit operations, become more complex, the makeup of a tax-exempt board takes on added importance. Gone are the days when a friend of a friend who happens to be available can fill a seat at the table.

During a recent conference sponsored by the Nonprofit Risk Management Center, Melanie Lockwood Herman, executive director of the organization, detailed the need for dynamic boards whose members bring a variety of skills. She emphasized that all the desired skills should be represented on the board. The skills are:

Legal experience. To include legal, policy and environmental issues as well as anticipating legal risks.

Finance experience. To prepare or oversee and understand the financial activities of an organization.